Elie Sung

Title: Assistant Professor

Years teaching at HEC: 5 years

Education: PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology

List of courses you currently teach: Business strategy simulation in the MBA, Strategic Management for undergrads.

I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when….

I started working in consulting after finishing my undergraduate studies in engineering. I knew I was more interested in technology policy and management than the engineering aspects, so I joined a consulting company where I could work on projects related to regulations in telecommunications and the internet.

I found the chicken-and-egg issue of incentives to invest in next-generation technologies fascinating: on the one hand, firms that have invested already in producing new technologies and do not want to invest in the next-generation broadband infrastructure until consumer usage justifies it, and on the other hand, policymakers pushing firms to invest in the next-generation infrastructure by arguing that new usage requiring higher bandwidth will be spurred only once the infrastructure is available.

While working on these topics with industry and policy actors was very formative, I became eager to explore these issues with a deeper and more open-ended approach, so I worked my way towards becoming a business school professor and now I can explore how firms handle innovative activities, and interact with policymakers.

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it?

My research aims to understand how innovative firms and policymakers interact to shape the competitive environment in which firms operate. Prior work on innovative firms focused mostly on their strategies in competitive markets. What my work highlights is the prevalence of firms’ action to shape the rules that govern those markets, in complement to their competitive, business, and corporate strategies.

This interaction is particularly important for innovative firms. When a firm innovates, the rules that are relevant (laws, regulations, legal precedents) may not be adapted or clear. For example, the first companies to sell drones had to deal with the uncertainty about where they could be flown. Other examples are current traffic regulations and insurance policies needing adaptation for automated vehicles, or privacy policies for social networking sites. By definition, innovation is new, so policymakers may not be familiar with the knowledge to fully understand the technical and social implications of bringing a novel product or service to the market.

As a result, they may need to rely on information provided by firms who have a better understanding of the innovations they produce and their commercialization strategy. My research documents those exchanges in the context of patent policy.

In some other work, I examined specifically pharmaceutical firms. They operate in highly regulated markets with high upfront investments. Prior literature has shown that these firms rely on patents to keep new entrants out of their markets while they recoup those investments. My co-authors and I found novel evidence on a sophisticated strategy employed by incumbent pharmaceutical firms. By responding after a potential generic entrant makes their first move, incumbents are able to bring relevant additional patents to court to further delay entry.

What do you think makes you stand out as a professor?

I do my best not to let students get away with vague answers. I push students to be explicit about the rationale behind their answers to my questions. Drawing from my own experience as a student, I believe it benefits the student who is explaining and the rest of the class. Additionally, it also functions as a continuous reminder of the standard for the level of precision expected in the course. As someone who came to business from engineering and mathematics, I understand the potential confusion and initial impression of “fluffiness” in social science-based subjects. So, I use as many opportunities as possible to push students to go through the logic behind what we discuss in class.

One word that describes my first time teaching:

“Covid.” The excitement and anxiety of first-time teaching quickly vanished to be replaced by a rush, as my colleagues and I moved through in-person/online/hybrid/blended formats to figure out the best way to balance teaching quality and social distancing.

What do you enjoy most about teaching business students?

Students have been exposed to or are interested in specific firms, industries, or business issues. As a result, both the students and myself are constantly exposed to widely varying examples and perspectives. It is enjoyable to guide them toward analyzing what they are interested in more systematically using the theory and tools from the course. The most challenging but perhaps most satisfying is when this process leads them to revising a strong prior belief or opinion.

In one word, describe your favorite type of student:

Engaged.

What are your hobbies?

Running and playing tennis, or simple walks around the city. Go to the theatre, dance performances, museums. Try culinary hotspots.

How will you spend your summer?

I will take advantage of the quiet campus to work on research. I also plan on conference traveling. And this year, of course, I will go to some Olympic events in Paris.

Favorite place(s) to vacation:

Corsica in France, Jeju island in Korea.

Favorite book(s):

Asimov. Some French classics like Dumas, Zola, Gary. And, of course, Harry Potter.

What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much?

My current top pick is “Clean sweep.” A Korean show featuring retired baseball players who form a team and play against various amateur and professional teams. I knew nothing about baseball but I started watching on a colleague’s recommendation. Initially, I enjoyed learning about the rules and was impressed by all the strategic thinking involved. While the show starts very lightly, as it progresses, it is captivating to see the players’ passion for the game, their competitive spirit, and teamwork rise back. The difference with watching “normal” professional sports is that I find some beauty in the fact that retired players, who have wisdom and perspective about the sport and their careers, are fully engaged with this unexpected chance to play again.

If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this…

Incorporating the faculty’s latest research in the learning experience. The topics and content from faculty research could make the learning experience more diverse and enriching, but more importantly, having exposure to how the faculty produced this knowledge can be valuable. I think it could provide students with useful tools for critical thinking and continuous learning even after graduation. We want to produce graduates who can absorb and assess the latest knowledge relevant to their business and the evolving socio-economic environment, but also to their long-term development beyond their first placement.

I’m grateful for…

Lovely and inspiring colleagues and mentors, particularly at Georgia Tech and HEC Paris, but also beyond, in the academic community. I feel very lucky to have family and friends who are supportive in personal and academic life.